Only Antonio López can turn his own history into art

The monographic exhibition showcasing Antonio López that opened in Barcelona this year is the perfect opportunity to look back at the master of realism’s partnership with ARTIKA to create Landscapes, the art book that best defines the artist’s creative career.

 

An artist is born and raised

Painter, sculptor and draughtsman, Antonio López has spent seven decades in search of just the right brushstroke, the exact nuance and the perfect texture to capture the essence of a figure or a landscape. This path has led him to become one of the leading names in contemporary realism. How did his journey as an artist begin?

He knew how to capture the light in the open spaces of his native Tomelloso; he explored domestic interiors and the urban horizons of Madrid; and he discovered expressive ways of portraying bodies and flowers (which happens to be the title of a now sold-out ARTIKA publication).

Left: Antonio López on Calle Nueva, Tomelloso, 2022.

Rigt: Tomelloso, Calle Nueva, 1980. © Photographic archive of Antonio López Studio: Antonio López, VEGAP, Madrid, 2022.

 

A first-person account

Antonio López takes us on an exclusive tour of his artistic career and the defining moments of his life. The journey he traces in Landscapes includes eye-opening details, from a fleeting ride on the subway in Madrid in the 1950s to a day he spent with his wife painting the sea.

Anyone who participates in the experience that this edition offers discovers López’s most intimate side. It is his voice, telling his story in his own words. And that is why he wanted this edition to be both a unique piece and his most personal artist’s book.

 El metro (The subway), 1970-1972. © Photographic archive of Antonio López Studio: Antonio López, VEGAP, Madrid, 2022.

 

Inspiration and precision

Antonio took his first artistic steps with his uncle, “the greatest example of talent for painting that I have ever known”. In this edition we see his earliest still life (Bodegón con pan y jarra, 1949), along with family portraits (Mi tía Concha, 1954) and other paintings from his youth.

We follow López’s footsteps through Madrid’s neighbourhoods and get to see his first painting of green spaces that coexist with streets and buildings: El jardín de atrás, 1969.

His eye often focuses on contrasting areas, those that often go unnoticed by passersby. "The periphery of the city, the outskirts, there where the city and the countryside meet, has been a theme I have always come back to", he says. This is what led to the painting Madrid desde el Cerro del Tío Pío, 1962.

Mis padres (My parents), 1955-1956. Paris, Centre Georges Pompidou. Musée national d’art moderne/Centre de création industrielle. © Antonio López. VEGAP. Madrid, 2011. 

 

Windows and presences

We also get a glimpse into his fascination with depicting exterior scenes through interior spaces (Ventana por la tarde, 1974-1982). In this sense, the Landscapes case recreates the window from which Antonio created the painting reproduced on the cover of the art book.

Places serve as inspiration, but it is only through people that they have meaning. This is why Antonio López has included the people who have shaped his life in this edition. This includes the two people who also shared his passion for painting: his uncle and mentor, Antonio López Torres, and his wife, María Moreno.

Left: Ventana por la tarde (Window in the afternoon), 1974-1982. Madrid, Collection ACS. © Antonio López. VEGAP. Madrid, 2011.

Right: Ventana de noche (Night window), 1971-1975 - 1980. © Photographic archive of Antonio López Studio: Antonio López, VEGAP, Madrid, 2022.

 

A life rich with nuance

Everyone knows his iconic depiction of Madrid’s Gran Vía. But there is much more to discover in the work of Antonio López. He tells us all about it in his own words with his intimate and spontaneous style in Landscapes. His words illuminate each image and reveal his creative process.

This personal journey spans a century and includes Antonio López’s unfinished works: “From the painting Los niños mirando las gallinas, wich my uncle did in 1917, to the paintings of mine that I’m working on right now. Together, they are a fragment of the painting of our time. A time, within the art world, so turbulent and exciting”.

 

The keys to Landscapes

• Limited edition of 2998 copies.
• Landscapes comes in a display case that offers several ways of exhibiting the work.
• All copies are signed by Antonio López.
• It includes a giclee print, Rosas, which can be displayed on its own.

 

The Antonio López exhibition will be open until 14 January at La Pedrera, Barcelona.